Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Little baby Katie is growing fast! She is spending more and more time awake and alert. Her favorite things in life are being held, being fed, sunshine, and taking baths with daddy. Her least favorite things are cold lotion, her fingernails, when her binkie falls out, and burps in her tummy.Little updates: Cody started his new coaching position yesterday. The first six hours of the day was just listening in to a training conference call, so he could answer an occasional question of the trainees. So he came upstairs on his headset, cleaned the kitchen, played with the kids, and it was really nice! Of course, that is going to be a rarity. The last two hours the trainees started taking phone calls and Cody had tons of questions to answer and didn't get a second to even think. But overall, he's excited for his new position and thinks it is going to be a fun new challenge.

This picture is mostly for Axton and Kristin. Axton--our cousin--has a new sister too, and thinks all the baby stuff is for him. Annalisa has been doing the same thing. She occasionally sucks on Katie's binkies, climbs in her crib, or takes her blankets. But Anna's favorite thing of all is the swing. Since she's still within the weight limit of the swing, we haven't made her quit climbing in it. She turns on the music and swings herself with her feet. Last night she fell asleep in there. So silly!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

The day at church was pretty easy and really fun. Katie slept almost the whole time, except for a fifteen minute snack and diaper change. The RS president asked me to lead the music, and when I stood up with Katie in my arms, no less than five women reached out and asked to take her. The hardest part of the day was attempting to take a family picture! :)

Friday, March 25, 2011

Katie is 2 weeks old today... about half an hour ago to be precise. She's already growing so much!Yesterday she had her 2 week checkup. She weighed in at 7 lbs, 5 oz and 21 inches long. That's a big growth! I'm not surprised. The girl has a hollow leg. ;) We had to do a repeat blood screening that required three heel pokes and a lot of bleeding. Poor Katie cried and cried. Babies are not supposed to be pin cushions. But we made it through it.

She is still a great little baby! Me, on the other hand... I've been having a tougher recovery than I was hoping for. Quite honestly, I was hoping for an instantaneous recovery. I was just being over ambitious. Fortunately, the hormones are settling down, even if the grosser parts (bleeding and soreness) aren't. My body keeps reminding myself that I just had a baby and I need to settle down. I'm glad I had those casseroles in the freezer. Anna's potty training has taken a few steps backwards, and the house is in a permanent state of mild disarray... but otherwise, we're managing. I couldn't stand the condition of the bathrooms any more, so I cleaned them earlier this week, then regretted it all afternoon. Ugh; this has just taken longer and been more painful than I wanted! I hope it gets over soon.

But overall, we're doing pretty well. Cody starts his new coaching position soon. The flowers in the front (which I at first thought were daffodils, but are actually Hyacinth) are getting little buds on them. The kids all still love each other--even if they're realizing just how immobile mom is these days while nursing a baby... I was most worried about these first two weeks, and look! They're over!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Last night, Cody bought me a baby gift. A new laptop! Well, it's not 100% new; we found it used in the classifieds online (in local terms, ksl.com). But it's very gently used and in great condition. It was my own fault that the other laptop bit the dust.

A brief history of our family's computers, for your entertainment:-I inherited an old computer that had been my parents', that was given to my brother Matthew at the beginning of his college career, which he used for 2 years before his mission and before I started college. At the end of his 2 year stint with it, his apartment flooded and the computer was two inches deep in water and mud. Somehow it survived, and I received it at the beginning of my college years back in the fall of 2003. I put it through even worse wear than the flood, though, by being stupid enough to allow my next door neighbors to use the computer at will. One neighbor downloaded a pirated copy of Windows XP Office edition, just to see if it would work before downloading it on his own computer. Yes. I was very naive. I had to nuke the hard drive after that. The computer was in fast failing condition, though, with a damaged sound card, issues connecting to the internet, and a few other quirks. Yet, it survived (barely) through my first 2 years of college and the first year of our marriage in 2005.-Cody and I saved our money and pledged to buy a new computer if we did the dishes 100 days in a row. So, in the fall of 2006, after Lee was born, we purchased a new Gateway Desktop, complete with a 19" flatscreen and optical mouse, both of which were big perks at the time. It was, has been, and is, a very great computer. We haven't had any issues with it, and have used it for all kinds of things, especially downloading pictures, videos, and uploading them to the internet. aka, blogging. :) Cody also bought a 1 TB external hard drive to go with it as a Christmas gift.-Last October, amid our move, Cody started a second job with DirecTV, which required him to provide his own computer. My mom graciously gave us her old desktop for him to use. For the first several months it worked great, but about a month and a half ago, they required a big software update, and the old computer just didn't have the chops for it. We decided to move the nice Gateway desktop down to the office and the old computer upstairs for me to use. I have been pining for my old desktop, but just switched to primarily using the laptop (see below).-In January of 2009, Cody did a semester toward a master's degree. While we later decided it was not good timing for our family, at the time I found it important that Cody have a school computer. So, for his birthday, I surprised him with a new HP laptop. We were mega excited about it. It is a really good machine, but unfortunately, the hardware just hasn't held up to our family. The kids enjoyed popping the keys off, which we have repaired numerous times. We've worn out 3 chargers and 2 batteries. The sides have been cracked and repaired from being dropped a couple of times. The final drop was it's downfall. Nobody was even around it. It was just my bad habit of leaving the computer in precarious places that did it in. It landed right on the charger plug, which cracked it (the charger plug) pretty bad. Cody was able to fiddle with it just enough to get it to charge still, but he had to tape it all down and completely immobilize the laptop. This all happened last week, right after Katie was born. Now, the laptop has missing keys, a taped-in charger that is still finicky, and is generally more sensitive. In other words, hard to use. -Which leads us right to today! Cody did a bunch of research on laptops and found this new HP Envy. He purchased it yesterday evening, and now I am nursing Katie, lounging in my recliner, aaaaand--BLOGGING! That's why this post has gone on so long.

Isn't that all so exciting? I'm just excited to be using a computer at my leisure again. It probably means you'll be hearing much more from me again. And that's our fun news for today.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Yes. Katie is asleep, and I am blogging. What is wrong with this picture? :)

Actually, nothing, really. Knock on wood--but Katie has been a good sleeper at night. She is falling into a little routine of waking up only about twice a night, for about an hour each time. Since she is nursing pretty much the whole time she is awake, Cody doesn't have to wake up. It would be superfluous, you know. Yet, even though the night time is typically all me (at least until morning, when Cody has been getting up to get Lee and Anna ready and give me another thirty minutes of sleep), I'm able to get some good rest. Again, knock on wood. I've probably just cursed myself even admitting this glorious news.

We had a nice "babymoon" with Cody off of work the last week. It was a needed break and good rest to have him around. I'm still a little nervous about this upcoming few weeks and months, but I made it today! Here I am; I got Lee out to school, and brought him back home. Many...nay, most... of my fears were entirely unfounded, I think. Anyway...what was I saying? oh yes, our time "off!" We did do a few fun things. We went to Cody's cousin's wedding reception, where Cody tried to teach Lee to slow dance. Several fun people came to visit, including Grandma S., Raychel and kids, and Sara and Eric. Sara and Eric brought Katie some cute little pink USU booties, which are hard to see in the picture, but are a lot of fun!

So there... that's a little bit better update than last night's quick one. We are trying to find a new routine that works for everyone. Good news--Cody got a promotion at his DirecTV job! It will be a big status increase. It will also be a drastic schedule change, which he's not too thrilled about, but I'm ecstatic for--he will be working more afternoons and less mornings. It means Prudential will have to be rearranged (why he isn't very excited) but he will have mornings to help just a little bit more (why I am so happy). So with this new schedule change, and a new baby, we're just taking it a day at a time with a lot of prayers and trying to stay very flexible. We're making it! And I just heard Katie start stirring... so, toodles!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Cody starts work again tomorrow morning, and Cody's mom left this evening. I'm on my own again.

Our laptop is broken. We're trying to decide if we should fix it, replace it, or suffer life without it. The only computer I currently have access to is very old, very slow, and rather quirky. So, that's why...one of the reasons why... I haven't been posting very much. The other reason is small and very cute.

Speaking of the other reason, Katie is doing well! She's given us a couple more nights of decent sleep, which is greatly appreciated. Annalisa is a little attention deprived, but she's coping well. Lee is the proudest big brother I have ever seen.

That's all she wrote. Not on all my mind. But that is all for today. Baby crying. :)

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Katie is almost 1 week old. Since Daddy is giving her a bath right now, I thought I would take a second and post.Katie is already changing. Her umbilical cord fell of today. Last night she slept--and let me sleep too--from 9 to 1:30, then 2 to 5:30. It was wonderful! Cody zonked out at 8, and I didn't wake him until 6:15, just so I could get that crucial last hour of sleep. Other things I'm noticing: every day she gives us another minute or two of alertness. She has such a cute face when she's looking around! Her fingers have smoothed out, also. They were mega wrinkly when she was born. She also loves peeing without her diaper on. :)So, we've made it through the first days home. Lee has gone to preschool every day. We've gone back to the hospital every day for bilirubin checks (blah...poor Katie's heels are all poked up...also why there's all these diaper-only-sunbathing pictures). I'm still a little nervous about next week when Cody starts working mornings again. But we will make it. The hormones are beginning to balance out (beginning, just beginning) and I hardly cried at all yesterday! Last night's big sleep really helped as well. I have great hopes now, and I feel like even if she only gives us one or two good nights a week, we will make it.Lee and Annalisa love Katie so much, and are happily transitioning with her. Every day they get to hold her as much as possible, and they are being great helpers.Overall, we're learning all about Katie and already feeling like she is a special and important part of our lives. I am so glad we have her. She is a sweet little baby and definitely adds a special spirit to our family.

Monday, March 14, 2011

I looked outside the front window just now and saw several inches of tulips and daffodils in our front flower bed. This is super exciting! We didn't live here in the fall, and I'm not sure what kind of landscaping is established. I certainly didn't know if we would get any bulb flowers, which are my favorites because they grow early. But there they are, coming up and looking very promising.

There is new life coming up all around me. Spring truly is a thrilling time, and I love that we had Katie right at the start of it. To be honest, I'm having some emotional difficulty. I am absolutely certain it is hormonal, but it is still difficult to deal with. I have had a few flashbacks of the labor and delivery; specifically, the hyperventilation, and it sent me into a mild panic attack. Add that to the dread I have been building up all the pregnancy for the weeks right after her birth... and now that we're here, that fear and dread has left me feeling even more panicky. But today we are fine. We actually got a ton accomplished. I'm very grateful Cody has this week off. I wish he didn't have to go back next week, but I know I will be alright.

These daffodils and tulips to me are a symbol of the new life we just brought into the world. Katie marks a new life for me as well. I need to leave the fears and dreads of the past behind me, and move forward with faith and hope. The future is truly bright, and I have no reason to be afraid of it any more. The pain of the past is gone, and it cannot hurt me any more unless I let it.

I am proud of myself for going natural in the delivery part. I have accomplished something amazing. I wasn't sure I would even have the strength to do it, but I did! I am healing up wonderfully, and I have high hopes the hormones will settle down soon. Until then, I'm snuggling my beautiful baby girl and Lee and Annalisa as well. I'm not fretting about anything that is not really important. And I hope the sleep will come soon too. :)

Hooray for beautiful new life! Happy Spring!

p.s. Thanks for making this blog a safe, therapeutic place for me. I really appreciate all you readers, who make me feel loved and cared for. I hope you have patience with me as I work through this time of my life.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

I think I managed about four hours of sleep. Katie is nursing awesome and even went to her crib okay a couple of times. Right now, Lee is holding her while I blog. I asked if he wanted to hold her for a little bit, and he said, "No; a lot."

We are so happy to all be home together. I love having all three of my children and my husband with me. I feel like my love is complete. I just want to kiss them and hold them all!

Daddy made us breakfast this morning. Lee and Anna got themselves dressed and have been very excited to play with the pink "It's a Girl!" balloons, bring me binkies for Katie (even though she hasn't been awake too much yet) and help out. I thank Heavenly Father for this amazing experience. I am just overwhelmingly grateful.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Lisa going into the hospital. Cute haircut, no? The day before I had Katie, I donated 12 inches (personal tradition to donate hair at the end of a pregnancy). And had a pedicure. aaah.Katie Verda!Strange... this picture keeps rotating when I upload it. Turn your head sideways, I guess. ;)We can't wait to go home and get pictures with all our kids together! Flu season = :(

Friday, March 11, 2011

Katie Verda S. was born today at 6:45 pm. Somehow, I'm still not sure how, it was an anesthesia-free birth.

When Cody put up that I was at a six, I was asking for pain medication. I thought it would be another three hours. She was born about an hour later, and we didn't have time to get anything in the room, let alone hooked up. The last forty minutes went fast. They were checking me between contractions and I went from a six to a seven and a half, to a nine, and then to birth. Dr. Clark came in one contraction before I started to push. All the nursing staff was amazing. I was hyperventilating so bad that my whole body seized up--starting with my face, then my hands, and finally my arms and legs. Like, seized so bad that my fists were clenched so tight Cody couldn't uncurl my fingers. I was shaking and my whole body hurt. The only part that would relax between contractions was my abdomen... the part that I thought should be hurting! Weird.

Anyway. Katie was born and looks beautiful! She is 6 lbs, 10 oz; 19.5 inches long. She has a little bit of beautiful fuzzy hair and while she looks like herself, she looks like one of our kids. She's already latched on well and nursed a bit. She loves to be held and cuddled. Unwrap her, and she'll scream. Keep her bundled up, and she'll doze and look around at the world very quietly and sweetly. Her stats have all been very good, but they'll probably do a blood sugar test because she is just on the small size. Cody loves to hold her.

I kind of think I'm crazy for not getting medication when I had the chance. But I've already gone to the bathroom, stood up to brush my teeth, rode in a wheelchair (not a gurney)... all things I couldn't do with an epidural! So, that is good... right?

Katie is amazing. She is so worth it. Cody and I are exhausted, but thrilled. We have a long night of blood pressure exams ahead of us, so we are going to try to get some sleep. Thanks everyone, for your prayers, support, and love. We'll get pictures up very soon!

This is Lisa really quickly. It is tricky to type with an IV in my hand. We keep turning up the pitocin and the contractions are getting stronger. I'm relaxing in between and through them, and we are enjoying watching Pride and Prejudice (A&E version).

Dr. Clark stopped by this morning just briefly. He isn't in his office today and is monitoring my progress from home. Cool, huh! He'll probably come some time and break my water. I haven't been checked since this morning, when we checked in.

I'm really happy with how it's going so far. They're encouraging me to move around when I want to, suck on ice, and have fun. So, I am!

We got up early and excited and called Labor and Delivery right at 6 am, as instructed, eagerly awaiting to hear: "Come right in! We're excited for you!" But nope. :( They are swamped, and told us to call back in a couple hours. So we called back a minute ago--still swamped. Couple more hours. Bug. It is very hard to be patient. I'm just not liking this feeling that I'm already on the back burner and not important to them. I mean, I get it, because I'm not in labor, and I would definitely rather be home quietly waiting than in the hospital being ignored.

We're having a nice breakfast and watching the news about the Japan earthquake. I'm trying to lay low and not do much, so I can have strength for later. That is, IF there is is a later... *stay positive, Lisa, stay positive*

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I just freaked out. In less than 2 days, I will have this baby. I will be the mother of three children.

I think first I should back up. I haven't mentioned these feelings nearly as often as I have felt them; I have been very stressed during this pregnancy. From the beginning, getting sick, having to move (and all the emotional distress that caused), and just the general dread of completing everything I need to with three kids... yikes! As much as I want three children, and as much as I love little Katie already, I have been very wary, very nervous, and ultimately, scared.

I've been grateful the past few weeks for my discomfort. Yes, that sounds very strange. But if I'm uncomfortable, it is a reminder how much I don't want to be pregnant any more. And that gears me up for labor and delivery and then--worry of all worries--being a mother of three. My biggest fear is how I'm going to get Lee to preschool each morning and home in the afternoon. It requires two outings daily, the first at eight am. Lee's preschool is a 20 minute drive away. With a nursing baby? Very little sleep? *gulp.* Nobody else can do it for me, either. I live too far away from other students to carpool, and Cody works in the mornings. And crazy me, it took until just now, as I'm writing this, to realize that I can come home and nap the day away. (which is EXACTLY what I plan to do now! Ha!)

But back to my feelings of worry and dread. They've been compounding with the fear of labor and delivery. Since Annalisa's birth, I've convinced myself that my body simply doesn't know how to start labor. But, the past month or so, I've been feeling stronger and stronger that I want to try my best to do this labor and delivery without an epidural. But I've been too nervous to even admit it out loud.

Today I called my sister Kathy and asked her for some advice and reassurance. In case you don't know, a month ago she delivered a beautiful baby boy--10 pounds!--without pain medication. I'm so proud of her. So I wanted to know everything I could. Her advice was awesome--thanks again Kathy! And I realized that the thing that I've been dwelling on--my fear--is going to be my downfall. I need to release this fear and embrace my calling as a woman and a mother with all its bumps and bruises and general toughness. But not pain. Pressure, intensity, tears; but it is not a painful thing to be a mother. It is natural. It is taxing. But it is not painful. And it is Beautiful.

Even after my great talk with Kathy, and even though my nerves about the L&D were comforted, she couldn't give me advice on three kids. So I talked to Cody about it tonight at dinner. That's when I really lost it. Cody has been working lots and lots of hours. He's got two jobs now a days, and we get very precious little time with him. How in the world can I do three kids without my husband by my side? How can I do Labor and Delivery, when we hardly talk any more?

Cody is an amazing man. He truly is. He held my hands and rubbed my back and reminded me how excited he is to have another child. We both are. Katie will be such a great addition to our family. And that needs to be my focus right now. The house may fall apart. Lee might be late to preschool one day (or more). But we are starting a new life. That is amazing. Simply, utterly, and profoundly amazing. Heavenly Father trusted this task to me, and He has confidence in me. Cody has confidence in me.

And finally, I understood: I have confidence in me. Every part of the woman's body is built to have and raise babies. We are powerful, special, and sacred creatures. To compound it, the birth of a baby is one of the most sacred experiences...nay, THE most sacred experience on the planet. To bring a new spirit into the world--it simply cannot be topped. This is a wonderful, amazing thing about to happen. And I am thrilled that I get to be a part of it.

So now, I am feeling a very good emotional balance. I am ready to be a mother again. I am ready to be a mother of three. I am excited for this change. I want to do my best to connect with my body and my baby--hopefully without medication--but I am able to make that choice for myself. I have strength and confidence in myself and my body. I can do this. I am amazing!

Thanks to all of you, for sticking with me through this pregnancy and being such a great support system. Baby Katie, let's get you out!

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I just got a comment from Nikki asking if anything is going on. I laughed. Nope! Not for me!

But, stuff IS going on. Just not had-the-baby stuff. I haven't posted in the past few days because there was so little to talk about, other than the kinda gross stuff like pelvic pressure and meaningless contractions and back pain. I have been keeping busy. I deep cleaned my kitchen and living room and they look great. Cody defrosted the big freezer. Awesome! I even vacuumed the van today. The kids' suitcase is packed (mine still not), the groceries have been purchased, the kids' vitamins are refilled and ready to go. We are nearly completely ready.

I just got back from my doctor appointment... I had a good little scare when I walked in and they'd messed up my scheduling and written down tomorrow at 2:30 instead of today at 9:30--which is what I had been told, and what I had written down... ugh. That's the second time in a month they've done that. Fortunately, both times they've worked me in and the Doctor is still awesome, despite a little longer wait for me. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow. And I have good reason too; read on.

Katie's heartrate was great. I actually lost half a pound this week, keeping my total right around 11 pounds. My blood pressure is perfect. The only thing that isn't checking in right on schedule is my dilation and contractions. In other words, I'm having a picture-perfect pregnancy except for going into labor. So weird. I haven't progressed much this week, which was somewhat surprising. I've had Braxton-Hicks contractions nearly every night this week, and Katie's head is bouncing up and down in my pelvis all the time. At times it feels like she could just fall out, she's so low. But a few hours or days later she'll squirm back up. Anyway. I digress. So I'm still sitting at about a 1.5 cm and 50% effaced.

Have I mentioned recently how happy I am with my doctor? He's on the same wavelength as me and aware of my feelings. Anna's OB was awful that way. I'm glad I made the switch. Anyway, after checking progress, we discussed what will come next. He asked me how soon I would like an induction and he himself volunteered this Friday. It was exactly what I'd been hoping for. I told him that would be more than perfect, and we went out and scheduled it. Amazingly, the hospital was able to schedule it in no problem, and I'm set for an induction this Friday, March 11! I am totally stoked! This baby will be out in just a few more days; my induction is set for 39 weeks 1 day, which is precisely 2 weeks shorter than I've done in the past. aaaah. So nice.

Of course, that means I now have the rest of today, tomorrow, and the next day to get ready for Katie. I need to clean the bathrooms again, go to my appointments (chiropractor, preschool home visit, cub scouts, haircut/pedicure, and Relief Society birthday celebration), and pack up my suitcase. I think I can do it. I know I can.

Friday, March 4, 2011

I so wish I had something awesome to blog about right now. I think time slows way down at the end of a pregnancy, and speeds way up after.

I had more contractions last night. I wasn't as surprised as the first time I had them, and I've had a few random ones in between, but last night they were about ten minutes apart for about an hour. This time I was still awake (it was about nine-thirty), but didn't tell Cody for fear they would stop. And stop they did. :) But still, I'm enough of a worry wart to take this as yet another gentle reminder (as if my gargantuan belly wasn't enough) that Katie is going to come. So today I'm going in my personal high-gear (read: everyone else's slowest speed) and getting things done. Today's priority? Laundry and packing of the bags. The kid's bag is almost done now. Mine is not yet started.

Yesterday we got the haircuts done. The boys look so much better, especially Cody. If I go more than a month without giving him a haircut, no offense sweetheart, but he looks like a clown werewolf. I hate to admit it, but the last haircut he got was on New Year's Eve. So it was high time! I am so grateful for my new kitchen with a linoleum floor that I can sweep up so we can do haircuts inside. I will never live with a carpeted kitchen ever again. *shudder*

The day before yesterday, Cody helped me with the cleaning. The house looks great now. Well... yes, we'll say great, since I'm not obligated to put up pictures. :) The floor is all picked up and vacuumed, and the bathrooms are scrubbed. There's still more to do, of course, but that will continue to happen a little each day. My sister in law Kristin once asked a very good question: why can't we store up clean laundry and a clean house like we can frozen dinners? Wouldn't it be awesome to just put away little packages that we could open up, and voila! there's a clean house? I would love that.

Anyway. Yesterday was 38 weeks officially. In my little fantasy, in one week from today I'll be in labor, or in the hospital after just giving birth. Ha. Yeah. Fantasy. I'm not nearly as obsessed with going into labor as I was with Annalisa. But I still plan on making Eggplant Parmesan for dinner sometime next week. But in honesty, here's my labor goal--and I think my doctor is on board--This weekend--if something happens, great. If not, great too.Tuesday--My "almost 39 weeks" doctor checkup. See progress, maybe strip membranes again, and then plan an induction for hopefully some time between Friday March 11 and Tuesday March 15. I'm not sure the hospital does inductions on any other days besides Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays (and even Wednesdays are iffy because they also schedule C-sections that day). So I don't know if they'll allow me to go in sooner. Let's pray.Wednesday and Thursday--Do everything in my power to get ready, and to dilate/go into labor. Mostly for fun.Thursday afternoon to Friday--Go into natural labor! :D j/k. Wait around until my induction, trying to find projects to stay busy, including cleaning the bathrooms again and again and again.sometime after that: be induced and have Katie!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

We're getting a lot done as we wait for her to come. Still have a lot to do as well.We went shopping today and splurged on a new swing/bouncy seat. This is pretty nifty! It's a swing, but the seat comes off and can sit on the floor by itself as a little bouncer. After the kids helped me set it up, Lee found one of Anna's dollies, worked really hard to put it in the straps, then swung it twice and announced, "yep, it works." Then he marched off. Anna then had a good time swinging it, finding the baby a blanket (as shown), and turning to say "cheese!" for the camera. Cheese, sans smile, that is. :) (see picture above)

Other things we have accomplished:-Lee's Kindergarten registration! I consider this a huge success. Lee did very well on his evaluation, all the paperwork is compiled and submitted, and we are set to roll in the fall. Relief.-Most of the baby clothes are washed and ready. The rest are at least located.-Katie's crib is put together with clean sheets and blankets. -We have several packages of diapers and wipes, in newborn and size 1, thanks to my wonderful baby shower and everyone who was so generous and kind.-I still have about about five or six frozen dinners ready to roll. -Carseat is washed and assembled.

Things still to do:-Pack kid's clothes and my hospital bag. I have everything we need to pack written down in an Excel Spreadsheet list--just in case I go into labor and need to rapidly direct where everything goes. But I haven't put the actual things in the bags. -Install the back seat of the van and the baby's carseat. This will require first cleaning out the van and some heavy lifting, so I'm kind of waiting for Cody's help (which is hard to come by, considering the many many hours he works nowadays).-Clean the house from top to bottom. Again, requires bending and lifting and bending and lifting. So that's why it's not done. -Give the boys haircuts. Hopefully will get done tonight or tomorrow.-Several appointments next week, including *aaaaaah* a haircut and pedicure for me.

And that's where we're at! If I don't get around to everything, life will go on. I'm getting excited for little Katie to come!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

I had a good doctor checkup today. I'm really happy with my choice of doctors. His whole staff knows me now and says hello when I come in. That is so nice! We found the baby's heartbeat faster than we ever have before. Funny random thing--this little girlie has been so shy about her heartbeat! Every single appointment has been a struggle to find it. She'll kick and hit the doppler several times before letting us hear a brief snippet of "thump thump thump" only to squirm away. Today the nurse practitioner remembered my shy/stubborn little girl, and purposefully started high. We found the heartbeat right away before the baby knew what was going on. Ha! :) Heartbeat is just great, between 130 and 140.

I was expecting more weight gain this week because of my increased appetite, but to my surprise and delight, I haven't gained at all. It was probably the horrid day I had yesterday (nausea, food aversions again...not done with it yet). Still at an 11 pound gain for the whole pregnancy.

I'm not a lot more dilated or effaced this week, though I have made a little progress. Doctor Clark didn't want to officially label me as a 1.5 cm, so that I could have more progress next week. :) And yes, he believes there will be a next week. I was just barely open enough to strip the membranes, though, so I had him do that. He thinks it will help me dilate more.

Lastly, both Dr. Clark, Cody, and I agree that it would be really nice if baby came before her due date. Dr. Clark has a 3 day vacation starting on my due date, and Cody has the whole week off of work. So, if I don't go into labor over the next week or so, we'll probably schedule an induction for *hopefully* sometime between the 11th and 15th. Dr. Clark doesn't want me to have a long, hard induction, and wants to see if I can progress a bit more before inducing... but I'm thinking that hey, this is where I was at when I was induced with Anna! And hers was the far better labor. It can't be worse now! :)

Now, for my opinions. My back hurts a lot. This baby feels like she's sitting lower than the other kids ever did. She's right on my sitting bones, so they ache. It hurts to stand, hurts to sit, is uncomfortable to lie down... basically, I'm getting done. Good thing though--I have high high hopes (and not unfounded hopes, either) that I will have this baby within about 2 weeks!